Targetti Sankey Elbow Desk Lamp –Vintageinfo

Targetti Sankey Elbow desk lamp chrome base black plastic gooseneck globe side mirror bulb Bendy 1970s, 1980s

Targetti Sankey Elbow desk lamp – orange-red and white version

Gino Sarfatti was born in Venice, Italy in 1912 and studied aeronaval engineering at the University of Genoa. Gino Sarfatti died at Gravedona, Como, Italy in 1985. He was the founder of his company Arteluce S.A.

The 536 C desk lamp designed by Gino Sarfatti was published in the book Gino Sarfatti Selected Works 1938-1973, written by Marco Romanelli and Sandra Severi and published since 2012 by Silvana Editorale S.p.A. You can find the 536 C lamp on page 426.

Targetti’s experience in architectural lighting and in particular in museum lighting used to bring the Salone dei Cinquecento (Salon of the 500) in the Palazzo Vechio (Old Palace) back to life.

Targetti: Philosophy, Product, Project

Targetti Sankey Elbow Desk Lamp

Materials: Chromed metal (iron) round base. 2 chrome tubes. Black plastic flexible ribbed tube. Metal gooseneck inside. Bakelite E27 socket.

Height: +- 37 cm / 14.56” (adjustable)

Width: 34 cm / 13.38”

Base: ∅ 18 cm / 7.08”

Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 75 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, but preferably a side mirror globe bulb. Side mirror globe light bulbs are still in production today in incandescence, halogen en LED.

Period: 1970s, 1980s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: E. Bellini.

Manufacturer: Targetti Sankey S.p.A., Via Pratese, 164, 50145 Firenze – Italy.

Other versions: This Targetti Sankey Elbow desk lamp exists in white, red, blue and so on. A chandelier with 4 lamps was also made. A floor lamp, a clamp lamp and many other models were produced. They were a big success.

Often attributed to Gino Sarfatti, others say Mario Bellini. But it is E. Bellini according to the iF Design Awards website. Unfortunately no information can be found about the designer. Gino Sarfatti designed a table lamp with many similarities, the 536 C in 1966 with a Cornalux bulb.

The Elbow desk lamp is often named Bendy, the reason is unclear. Sometimes confused with the Stilnovo Periscopio table lamp.

This lamp received an iF Design Award in 1975.

Targetti Sankey S.p.A.

Targetti Sankey S.p.A. was founded in 1928 by Sankey Targetti as a family business. His son Paolo was the second president of the company. Today his grandson Lorenzo succeeded Paolo in the chairmanship of the group, and Stella, his granddaughter, is the vice president of the Tuscany Region. The company has been designing and producing indoor and outdoor architectural light fixtures ever since.

The company specialises in lighting for large exhibition spaces. For example the lights used in the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze (Gallery of the Academy of Florence) to illuminate the world famous statue of David, made by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 – 1564), were a gift by Targetti for the museum. Also the Academy of Fine Arts (Accademia di Belle Arti) in Firenze is illuminated by Targetti.

Paolo Targetti

Paolo Targetti (1937 -2010) worked for the company since 1960 and has been working on the management’s commitments with an enthusiastic activity in the field of design of lighting and communication equipment. He was president of the Targetti Sankey S.p.A. company since 1985. For some years Targetti was president of the L’Accademia di Belle Arti (Academy of Fine Arts) in Florence.

Targetti was appointed President of the Industrial Association of Florence (L’Associazione industriali di Firenze) in 1987, member of the “giunta nazionale di Confindustria”, the Confederation National Council, since 1991, runner of work since 1992, president of the scuola di Scienze Aziendali, the School of Business Science in Florence from 2003 to 2010.

From 2004 to 2007 he was chairman of the National Association of Lighting Manufacturers, the L’Associazione nazionale dei produttori di illuminazione. Since 2008 he was president of the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence.

Villa La Sfacciata

In 1998 Paolo Targetti and Targetti Sankey bought the Villa La Sfacciata in Firenze, Italy. It houses the Fondazione La Sfacciata Lighting Academy, the home of the Targetti Light Art collection, headed by Amnon Barzel.

The Foundation is dedicated to promoting lighting research, the diffusion of light culture and commissioning works of art to contemporary artists made with the use of artificial lights. The Villa La Sfacciata is located in via Volterrana 82, on the hill of Giogoli, near the Certosa di Firenze.